Less-than-expected restocking grows aluminium billet inventories

The following table shows the ferrous and nonferrous metals movement on the SHFE and DCE on 22 Sep , 2026

[SMM Aluminum Express News] Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) will pilot its new E40 smelting technology on 13 DX reduction cells at the Al Taweelah smelter, targeting higher aluminum output with lower energy consumption. If subsequently deployed across all 808 DX cells in Potlines 1 and 2, EGA estimates the upgrade could increase hot-metal production by around 67,000 tonnes/year, while reducing net specific energy consumption and associated power-generation CO₂ emissions by approximately 6% per tonne of aluminum produced. EGA has accelerated the E40 pilot so the modifications can be installed during the ongoing restoration of Al Taweelah following the March 28 shutdown. The technology is designed as a retrofit for existing DX cells, allowing EGA to extract additional production from its existing smelting infrastructure rather than constructing a new potline. The company will use the 13-cell pilot to validate performance before deciding on wider deployment across the 808-cell fleet.

[SMM Aluminum Alloy Daily Review] ADC12 market quotes were largely stable today, with only a few enterprises lowering prices by 100 yuan/mt. Although aluminum prices and futures pulled back, constrained by high costs, enterprises showed relatively limited willingness to proactively cut prices, and sentiment to hold prices firm persisted in the market. ADC12 prices are expected to continue a sideways consolidation pattern in the short term, with cost support and compliant procurement pressure limiting the downside, while weak demand recovery will also cap the elasticity of further price rises.